Mountains of Gelendzhik: Mount Shakhan and the fortress from the film Thunderstorm Gate
Previous story about our trip to the Caucasus: Mount Two Brothers, canyon and waterfalls - one day hike. And the final chord of our trip to the Caucasus was a walk in the mountains of Gelendzhik, and in particular the ascent to the Caucasus ridge, where there is a fortress specially made for the filming of the Thunderstorm Gate film. Several years ago, when the shooting took place, I was nearby and heard frequent explosions. And even then I decided that someday I will get to this place.
The fortress has already turned into an object of visit, into a local landmark. Tourists are taken here every day in UAZ cars. We, as true connoisseurs of an active lifestyle, went there on foot. In this connection, a group of people from a passing UAZ car envied our good health.
Near the bridge over the Zhane River, in the Vozrozhdenie village, there is an old military road that branches off perpendicularly to the Novorossiysk-Sochi highway. Here you have to climb about 10 km along it. By the way, you can drive there by car, though not until the very end..
What else to see in Gelendzhik
Where to stay in Gelendzhik - a selection of hotels
Military road to the Caucasian ridge.
Military road to the Caucasian ridge. Mount Gelendzhik.
We climbed up to Mount Shakhan in 3 hours, had a snack and enjoyed the views of the surrounding mountains of Gelendzhik.
View from Mount Shahan.
View from Mount Shahan.
And then for another hour we walked along a fairly gentle road along the Caucasian ridge to the fortress itself. On the way, houses and cafes are being built, apparently for tourists who are completely exhausted, or for those who have decided to live here for a while. The views of the low mountains of Gelendzhik, in general, are conducive to this type of recreation. On the way, we met a cyclist, well done man, he probably saved so much time, and he managed more than ours..
Caucasian ridge. Gelendzhik mountains.
If you have the time and expect to spend the night, then from here you can walk to Mount Thab, see the ensemble of Monasteries rocks - famous among rock climbers, and go down to the Pshad waterfalls. Apparently, I will implement all this next year, since trips to the Caucasus have already become an annual ritual for me. I invite you to take part in this rather easy route, but at the same time rich in impressions. Those who do not like to walk can use the services of dzhigits on all-way UAZ.
Decorative fortress for the filming of Storm Gate.
The fortress itself would have looked quite natural, if not for the cement between the stones. It is quite small in size, and it is all covered with traces of bullets. Although most likely these holes were made with a drill.
The fortress where the Storm Gate was filmed. Gelendzhik region.
Fortress for filming the film Thunderstorm Gate.
On one of the walls there is even a chipping away stylization like a fresco, with the faces of some gray-haired elders. And the carved silhouette of a lion next to it.
Fresco styling.
Silhouette of a lion near the fortress.
The descent from the Gelendzhik mountains turned out to be much faster than the ascent. In 2 hours we got from the fortress to the asphalt. And if not for the callus on the heel, they would have reached even faster, since there you can practically run, while not getting tired at all.
Gelendzhik mountains.
Tired and slightly overheated by the May sun, but satisfied, we immediately rushed to the store for dinner. Fortunately, he is on the way to our camp.
And the next day we stayed at the camp in the village of Vozrozhdenie and made themselves a day of laziness, and sunbathed in a clearing next to dolmens, where they listened to the next stories of the guides, looked at the tourists putting their foreheads to the dolmen slabs in anticipation of a miracle and met a child of the forests begging for juice from us.
The child of the forests and the Ecumenical dolmen.